


Demonic Love and Protection

by Femalemarvelfanatic, M1das



Category: Captain America, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Demon!Tony, God!Odin, Hell, Jesus!Thor, M/M, demon!Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 21:12:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17475059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Femalemarvelfanatic/pseuds/Femalemarvelfanatic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/M1das/pseuds/M1das
Summary: Bucky didn’t believe in Hell until he went through it. Fortunately, one man may be the key to his salvation.





	Demonic Love and Protection

    Bucky wiped Steve’s sweaty forehead, brushing away the hair that stuck there.

    “You have a fever,” he said with tears in his eyes and an ache in his heart. “Hope you get better soon.”

    “I will! It’s just a cold.” Steve stopped to cough for a while and Bucky couldn’t do anything to help him but rub his back and remind him to breathe. “It’ll pass, and then we’ll go see the Stark Expo at the end of the month. You know I’m tough.”

    “I know you are, pal. I’m just worried this is something else.”

It _was_ something else.

    Bucky had prepared himself for the worst case scenario a few days later, when he rushed inside the hospital, with Steve in his arms, begging someone to help his friend. He stayed with him the whole week. Every day Steve told him he was feeling better, but every day the doctors told him he was only getting worse.

    “We did everything we could, but we weren’t able to save your friend. We’re sorry for your loss,” the doctor said.

    That night, he drank the whole liquor bottle that he had been saving, threw the empty bottle against the wall, then punched said wall and bloodied his knuckles.

 

ᐁᐃᐁᐃᐁᐃ

 

    “Fuck off!” Bucky said while punching the guy one last time.

    “Thanks, man,” the young boy that was being being picked on said. “That was one of the Barton brothers. Clint, I think. He wanted to kill me. Revenge, you know?”

    “Revenge for what?” Bucky slurred, only now noticing how his hands were shaking.

    “I killed his brother, but now I kind of owe you something. Tell me what you want and I will give it to ya.” The boy put a hand under Bucky’s chin, getting dangerously close.

    “Give me a job, in whatever you do. I’ll take what I can get.”

    And that was his worst decision. He left everything behind that day and became a mercenary. Every day he would get a letter with a name and picture on his doorstep. Some days the names would be of people he read about in the local newspapers, sometimes it would be of people he knew, but he did his job without hesitation. He did not have anything to lose, not anymore. After some time, wiping away the blood from his weapons and clothes felt pleasant. He was a ghost that no one ever caught. Every day he broke into safe houses and big companies feeling nothing but pride and confidence. He knew no one was as good as him, and today would be no different.

    “Ready for the big fight, Soldier?” One of the other mercenaries that accompanied him asked before kicking the door down.

    “You know I always a-” But, for the first time, he wasn't ready.

    A red-haired woman in a fancy dress held a knife to his throat. Bucky threw his gun to the floor. “Move towards my husband and I will kill him,” she threatened, pressing the small knife harder against his neck.

    “Sorry, pal,” the other mercenary said, then turned around quickly and shot the chemist’s head, splattering blood all over the walls.

    The woman gasped and shoved the knife all the way in. He didn’t even have time to feel the pain before blacking out.

    He didn’t see his life flash before his eyes, or a light at the end of the tunnel, or any of those other things that he had heard people see when they die. He saw black and then he was on the side of a highway, located in the middle of a desert.

    A blood-red car drove up, a Delahaye 135 MS Narval. It was as beautiful as the man who drove it. The man had dark hair and a goatee, as well dark vermillion red horns and feather wings, and the tips of his horns and edges of the feathers looked at if they had been dipped in gold. ‘ _Demon_ ,’ Bucky thought.

    “Hello, James.” the man said, pulling his glasses up. The passenger door of the car opened by itself. Bucky got in, catching a glimpse of himself in the side view mirror, and seeing silver ram’s horns on the sides of his forehead and black, metal-looking feather wings on his back. He shook his head and looked over at the driver.

    “Who are you?”

    “I’m the Harrowing of Hell, Descensus Christi ad Inferos, or ‘Tony’ to my closest friends,” the demon answered before taking off down the road.

    “I’ve died and gone to Hell, haven’t I?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “Where are we going?”

    “Yeah, you’re dead. Thought that was obvious. But we’re still in Arizona, on the astral plane, not Hell. I’m taking you to the portal that will take us to to the Fountain of Fate, which will decide if you go to Heaven or Hell. But honestly? Things aren’t looking great for you.”

    “You know what I’ve done?”

    “Well, no,” Tony admitted. “But I’ve been doing this job for a long time, and I’ve seen all kinds of criminals. Some have done horrible things because they thought they could get away with it. Others have done it as a means of survival. And _others_ , like you, have just lost their way. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t look evil, just… sad. But I’ll tell you a secret that Satan doesn’t want you to know. The folks who’ve lost their way? Redemption is possible for them. God and our boss have a deal that if a demon ever does something noble, that demon will get their white wings and a golden ticket into Heaven. But Satan won’t make it easy for you. He doesn’t like losing demons.”

    “I’m not a demon. I’m a man,” Bucky protested.

    “You aren’t a demon _yet_ , you mean. Didn’t you see your wings and horns?”

    “We’re in the middle of the fucking desert, and it’s over a hundred degrees outside. I thought I was hallucinating.”

    “Nope. Those are real.”

    “Great. So what will I be doing as a demon?”

    “I don’t know. Hell is kind of like Earth, in that everyone has a different job. Once we get to Hell, I’ll take you to Maria Hill. She’ll figure out where you’ll be working.” Bucky nodded.

    “Thank you, Tony,” he said sincerely.

    “You’re welcome,” Tony replied, sounding unsure as to what he was being thanked _for_. They were quiet for the rest of the trip, until they pulled up to a townhouse and Tony parked.

    “Where are we?” Bucky asked as they got out of the car.

    “This is the home of the Sorcerer Supreme. He’ll make the portal to the Fountain.”

    After a few minutes of arguing between Tony and the sorcerer, a portal was finally opened and the two demons stepped through it and entered a garden. Standing in the center of the garden was a large, three-tiered water fountain, surrounded by a field of dead flowers. As Bucky got closer to the fountain, the water turned red and thick.

    “Is that blood?” he whispered to Tony, not wanting to offend the woman approaching them.

    “Hello,” she said politely. “I see you’ve figured out how the Fountain works.”

    “Sort of. The water turned into blood when I walked up to it, but I don’t know what that means.”

    “It means that I was right! Hi, Pepper!” Tony waved, and the woman sighed.

    “Hello, Mister Stark. The way the Fountain works is that, when the recently deceased approach, the water changes. If that person is destined for Heaven, the water turns into steam. Heavenly clouds, you understand? If that person is bound for Hell, the water becomes blood. In your case, you will be going to Hell,” she explained.

    “Ok. That makes sense. How do I get there from here?” Bucky asked.

    “Through the gate,” she said, pointing to something on Bucky’s left. It was _huge,_ dark, and Bucky was not completely sure if there was blood running down the walls, but it looked that way. It had a skull on top with two horns, similar to the descriptions of Satan. Bucky got chills, but he could feel the heat coming from inside. The smell was putrid and if he weren’t dead he would be vomiting on the floor, but Tony didn’t seem fazed by it.

    “Are you sure it’s safe?” Tony shrugged.

    “Well, I mean, it’s Hell, so probably not. But that’s the only way to get there. Now let’s go.” He grabbed Bucky by the arm and started walking toward the gate, which opened on its own to reveal a park on a hot summer’s night, with people (‘ _Demons_ ,’ Bucky corrected himself) reading, jogging, or playing games with their friends. Everybody looked… if not happy, then at least not miserable, which confused Bucky.

    “This doesn’t look anything like it says in the Bible. Where’s all the fire and brimstone? Where are the tortured souls, screaming in agony?” Tony rolled his eyes.

    “Those are things made up by God, preachers, and the Pope, who have never actually _seen_ Hell, to convince their followers to go to Heaven instead. Hell isn’t _that_ bad. It’s a town, like the ones on Earth, where demons live and work.”

    “Oh. Well, where are we headed?”

    “Turn around. See that Town Hall building? That’s where you’re going.”

    “You aren’t coming with me?” Bucky asked.

    “Can’t.” Tony shook his head. “I’m just your ride. It’s against the rules for me to be more involved than that.”

    “Alright. Well, thank you for everything. I hope I’ll see you again some day.” He held out his hand for Tony to shake.

    “Yeah. You, too.” Bucky turned and started walking toward the building. “Hey, James!” He turned.

    “Call me Bucky,” he said.

    “Welcome to Hell, Bucky,” Tony said, then walked away.


End file.
